On November 27, a powerful force led by Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive in northern Syria. Taking advantage of the dysfunctional Assad regime forces – the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – and Russia’s preoccupation with its grinding war in Ukraine, HTS and its Turkish-supported allies advanced to the south – and swiftly liberated the city of Aleppo from Syrian strongman Bashar Al-Assad, his SAA and his Russian backers.
The city of Hama could be next. If HTS can seize Hama, it could begin to squeeze the regime-held salient between the front line and the Mediterranean Sea coast, 40 miles to the west. The salient contains all of the Syria’s coastline. It also contains the Russian navy’s only base on the Mediterranean Sea, in the port city of Tartus.
On November 27, a powerful force led by Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive in northern Syria. Taking advantage of the dysfunctional Assad regime forces – the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – and Russia’s preoccupation with its grinding war in Ukraine, HTS and its Turkish-supported allies advanced to the south – and swiftly liberated the city of Aleppo from Syrian strongman Bashar Al-Assad, his SAA and his Russian backers.
The city of Hama could be next. If HTS can seize Hama, it could begin to squeeze the regime-held salient between the front line and the Mediterranean Sea coast, 40 miles to the west. The salient contains all of the Syria’s coastline. It also contains the Russian navy’s only base on the Mediterranean Sea, in the port city of Tartus.